Rebirth
by Lady Crimson and Black
Summary: Dumbledore claimed that death is only the next great adventure. Uchiha Meika, formerly Harriet Potter, finds out that he was right, yet again, the hard way.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor Naruto.**

"... green eyes, Mikoto! The doctors say... recessive genes... possible mutation... May never develop the Sharingan..."

She wanted to listen in, to blink and look, observe her surroundings, war-honed instincts demanding an explanation, knowledge of all the facts, but she couldn't concentrate. She barely felt her body, her muscles weak and feeble, and first stirrings of panic were beginning to cloud her mind. She was helpless, her senses poor, almost blind and deaf, like she was underwater, and she was in an unfamiliar territory, at the mercy of the people she couldn't see.

She tried to rationalize, tried to remember the last thing that happened before the endless darkness swallowed her. She was fighting, she knew, duelling for her life, alone against one of the last group of Death Eaters that managed to ambush her unaware. She could recall the almost blinding brightness of clashing spells, the familiar, coppery taste of blood on her tongue, the scream of a masked man as she ripped through his abdomen with a well-placed Severing Charm.

And then only agony and desperate will to live, to survive, a will that had helped her fight trough her adolescence, but abandoned her at the very end. She remembered her frantic casting, her holly wand almost dancing in the air as she weaved spell after deadly spell in a grim defiance.

She remembered the knowledge that she will die with the blood of her killer on her hands.

It had been strangely satisfying.

"... don't care... Fugaku..."

She recognized the language at least, even if she couldn't hear every word. Japanese. The long nights in the cold tent, huddled over Hermione's signature blue flames were seared into her memory. Su Li had always been talking about her mother's island homeland, about the legends and traditions and the rich history of the small country. She taught them the language too, because they were at war, and there was a terrible advantage in ability to communicate without your enemies understanding a word, an advantage that they used frequently and to a devastating success.

But why was she in Japan? For that matter, how was she even alive? Had someone managed to heal her and then kidnapped her? She doubted it. She had been in a very secluded area, and only people close by were either dead or doing the killing.

She was dead, she was sure of it. Or had been dead, maybe.

So what was happening?

"... can't have an heir without a doijutsu... the Elders..."

Two people were arguing, she realized, just outside the door. Their voices were hushed whispers, the kind that managed to carry only because the amount of feelings that saturated every word. The woman was angry, furious almost, and the man was clearly irritated by her disagreement.

She couldn't hear them, not clearly at least. Her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton and her hearing was suffering horribly. She didn't even have the strength to rotate her head and observe, not that it would be much help if she could. Her vision was blurry, only able to discern vague shapes and colours, nothing that would be even remotely helpful.

"Screw the Elders! This is our daughter we are talking about, Fugaku!" the woman suddenly shouted, her voice incredibly loud in the previous almost-silence.

She could almost feel the incredulous surprise that came from the man at the furious proclamation. There was a lengthy pause in the argument, clearly meant to help him gather his thoughts.

She wondered what were they arguing about? Or rather, why here? Why expose a prisoner, or maybe an unconscious guest to a loud disagreement about their child, only giving them information to use later. Maybe they were not a threat, if they didn't think to conceal something so important to them personally from her. Maybe they had really tried to help her.

The man finally spoke, and it was kind of voice that would have sent chills down her spine if she hadn't locked wands with Voldemort himself and lived to tell the tale. "You will obey me, Mikoto, especially concerning the matters of the Clan. I will not have an heir without the Sharingan," his tone was soft, deadly quiet, but it carried better than the woman's screams had. "My word is final."

"... Yes, Fugaku-sama," the woman said, soft and submissive, and she could just imagine her head bowed and eyes lowered.

The man left then, his footsteps loud and sure in the sudden silence. She could hear a soft sigh and a creak of the door as the woman entered. She tensed as she felt her approach, hating how weak, how utterly helpless she felt.

Then a giant loomed above her.

She stilled, unable to see clearly, nothing more than a moving blur of colour that was obviously meant to be a face and a mass of dark hair, but she could clearly recognize that the person was enormous. She felt the first stirrings of fear, a true and utter terror that hadn't gripped her for years now, not since her first true battle.

She was feeble and powerless and completely at mercy of an unseen giant, and she could barely think trough her panic.

Hands, soft and gentle, grasped her and hugged her to a warm chest. It startled her out of her frightened musings and she let out an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak that would have left Ron on the floor, convulsing from laughter. She could see the giant woman now, her face close enough for her poor eyesight to discern her features.

She was distinctly Asian and beautiful. Dark-haired and dark-eyed, she had a pale skin and delicate face that spoke of generations of careful breeding, clearly a member of some kind of aristocracy. She had a kind smile, though, and it softened her face in something infinitely brighter.

"Don't worry, my love, Kaa-chan will take care of you," she cooed softly, voice warm and loving.

Her brain stopped.

Kaa-chan? _Mother_? She remembered the previous conversation, the reason for the argument. A daughter.

Something very much like dread curled in her stomach.

"Your Tou-san may not make you his heir, but I know that you will be strong."

A small, weak body. Poor senses. A giant woman that claimed to be her mother.

Her death.

She had died, she knew it, she remembered it with disturbing detail.

So she had died, and now she was alive and small and weak and in the arms of her 'kaa-chan'...

God-damned Dumbledore! If both of them weren't already dead, she would kill him herself, slowly and tortuously, and enjoy every fucking second of it! 'The next great adventure' indeed!

"You will be a splendid kunoichi, Uchiha Meika. I just know it!"

Reincarnation.

She had been reincarnated.

Uchiha Meika, the eldest child of the honorable Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, formerly Harriet Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived, the Woman-Who-Conquered, the Lady Potter-Black and the most powerful, dangerous witch of the century let out an ear-shattering wail in a futile attempt to demonstrate the depths of her displeasure with Fate, gods, or the fucking universe – whatever was up there, really.

God-damned Dumbledore.

* * *

Mikoto was furious.

Oh, she tried not to show it, she kept a smile on her face and tried to stay calm and collected if only for her newborn daughter's sake. Her child (and the endless love she felt every time she thought about it almost brought her to her knees) was cradled firmly, but gently in her hands, slumbering softly, completely exhausted from her earlier wailing, and Mikoto would rather stab herself with kunai than wake her with the killing intent.

But she was so, so furious.

Fugaku... She couldn't even think about her husband without her fists clenching and her doijutsu flaring enraged crimson. How dare he?! How dare he talk to her like that?! How dare he dismiss her like some helpless civilian girl when she had long since surpassed him in skill, when she was one of the best kunoichi in Konoha, only rivalled by Senju Tsunade-hime and Uzumaki Kushina?!

How dare he ignore _their_ _daughter_?!

The last one stung the worst.

Meika was beautiful and perfect and Mikoto will cheerfully dismember anyone claiming differently, even her husband. Her eyes were nothing, absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and if she were any less well-mannered, if she had any less self-control, she would've strangled Fugaku for his comments.

No heir without the Sharingan?! A female one at that?!

She had never before felt so indignant, both for her gender and her abilities. She herself had activated her doijutsu fairly late, when she had already obtained the status of a jounin, and when he so callously implied that ninja without the Sharingan were worthless...

Well, she had a half a mind to show him exactly what she could do without the crimson-coloured eyes.

Mikoto remembered clearly the surprise she felt when she first saw her daughter, the almost numbing shock when the already emerald green eyes blinked at her sleepily. She remembered the awe that followed, because those were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, shining and gem-like, and far more stunning than Tsunade-hime's golden eyes, Kushina's purple orbs or even Minato's cerulean blue irises.

She also remembered Fugaku's anger and disgust when he learned that the possibility of developing Sharingan was almost nonexistent.

Mikoto knew that he loved their daughter. She had seen his tender side during her pregnancy, she had watched as he quietly worried over her every need. But she also knew that the Clan will disapprove of her child, and that, to Fugaku, the Clan was even more important than his own family.

So Meika will be hers to care for, hers to raise and hers to train.

And train her she will.

Uchiha Mikoto had not been one of the most powerful kunoichi of Konoha, the best Genjutsu Mistress of her generation and overall a better ninja than her husband because of nothing.

It was time that her Clan was reminded of that fact.


	2. Chapter 2

The first few months of her new life were... informative, would be the best word for it, she supposed.

And frustrating. Can't forget frustrating.

Because, Meika was a war veteran, a general, with years of fighting experience and memories of killing fields and torture chambers, with all of the instincts that the past like that implied, and she was stuck in a body of a newborn, hardly able to move. She was not embarrassed, no, she had long since discarded that incredibly useless emotion. When one spends years living in tents or small, dilapidated shelters with quite a few people, a lot of them male, mortifying situations were hardly uncommon. She had been desensitized sometime around the sixth time Neville walked in to her changing clothes. So, no, she was not really embarrassed, but the constant need to depend on someone else infuriated her beyond belief.

She was helpless! Utterly and completely powerless! She had killed Voldemort when she was twenty, for God's sake, she had annihilated the most powerful Dark Lord of the century, an incredibly dangerous duelist with more than fifty years of experience, relying on her frankly awful schooling, three years of battle experience and her smarts and wits. And she had done it! She succeeded and saved the Wizarding World and then continued on to catch all of his Death Eaters too. She had been strong and vicious and the best fighter in Britain.

Now she couldn't even lift her head without falling into an exhausted sleep right after.

At least she had Mikoto.

Uchiha Mikoto was an angel and godsend and no one was going to convince her otherwise. She was kind and sweet and gentle, she fed her and clothed her, told her stories and sang her lullabies, and she was generally everything she imagined a mother should be, but never had a chance to experience. At the beginning, she had wondered if she was somehow betraying Lily Potter, if she should maybe love her new mother less, if only to respect her old one, but she stopped such thoughts quickly. By all accounts, Lily was warmhearted, compassionate woman and she would've wanted her child to enjoy her new life to its fullest.

So, yes, she adored Mikoto, and the thought of actually having a mother made her giddy whenever she even thought about it.

Fugaku... Well, Fugaku was completely other story.

In the five months she has been newly alive, he had visited her four times. All of them had been during the night, at witching hour practically, when Mikoto was asleep. He would just stand there and stare at her silently, a strange expression on his face. She did not know what to make of it, so she simply tried to ignore it together with his continued existence.

If he will not make effort to at least like her and get to know her, Meika didn't see why she should.

The only thing that she was interested in during his visits were his clothes, strangely enough. He wore some kind of uniform, one unlike anything she had ever seen before, and she often wondered what he did for living. It was clear that her new family was rich, if only because her room was strangely luxurious for a newborn and filled with small, white and red fans, that were probably some kind of crest. It was weird for her, living like that, an exact opposite of cupboard under the stairs, but she was slowly getting used to it.

Mikoto, as usual, came to the rescue, and assuaged her curiosity.

Her new mother liked to talk. She chattered when she fed her, or took care of her, she often talked about her day, about local legends and fairy-tales and generally made things more interesting. She was a well of information about her new home, and Meika soaked it all in.

"... visited Kushina today, see, and she had just came from a mission. There was so much blood! Thankfully, not hers, but she's terrible at cleaning..."

Kushina? Mission? _Blood_?! This was not the first time that Mikoto talked about such things with a gentle smile and unconcerned voice, not knowing that her daughter can understand every word she said. But after a few times, Meika grew... concerned and slightly, only slightly mind you, excited.

She seemed to live in a world were fighting, training to survive was accepted. Even more importantly, it was allowed for women. She didn't even realize how worried she had been until the giant weight was lifted from her chest and she could breathe freely again.

Because, for all intents and purposes, Mikoto was the submissive one in her marriage. The first argument Meika had overheard certainly implied so. Her mother was strong, yes, there was steel in her spine and fire in her eyes that reminded her of Hermione's quiet, gentle strength during the war, but Fugaku had the last word concerning the family matters and Mikoto obeyed.

Meika... Well, she had never really been good at obeying, not even during her first childhood as Harriet. The thought of having to respect someone, to bow her head and keep her eyes down just because of her gender made her blood boil and her eyes see red.

She wouldn't have done it either way, but if women were allowed to fight here then it will be immensely easier.

"... said that Minato took little Kashi-chan in his care now that he's his sensei. I'm so glad. The poor boy, he must've felt terrible finding his father dead..."

Sensei? So an apprentice-teacher system, it seemed, and fairly common, judging by Mikoto's tone. Interesting and very informative about her new society.

Does that mean that she will have to find her own sensei? Or is she assigned one?

"... Fugaku will leave soon, of course. The war is really spreading now, and they need every available body at the front..."

The world stopped. For a second, Meika forgot to breathe.

The war. War. The panic and despair she felt at the mere mention of the word gripped her tightly, and she struggled to regain her mind. Flashes of blood and screams and constant, never-ending agony, both mental and physical, rushed trough her memory, and she screwed her eyes shut in a feeble attempt to ward them of.

Calm, she told herself, repeating it like a mantra. Breathe. Think.

There is war in this world. She had been killed by one of the last remaining enemy forces of the war that ruled her life and now she was reborn in a time of another war. It was... so unfair that she wanted to rage and scream and wail, but calmed herself with the strength of will she didn't know she possessed.

 _Think_!

She was a child, a newborn at that. Nobody knew about twenty years of memories in her head, nobody even suspected that she held the diamond-sharp mind of a successful general, that she could turn tides in any battle if only she was allowed a free reign.

Nobody expected her to fight.

The relief that swept over her caused her body to sag, boneless in Mikoto's gentle grip. No more fighting, no more killing, no more watching her friends die, at least not for quite a few years. She could be happy for that, at least.

She started to listen Mikoto's ramblings again, though. She desperately needed information.

"... Iwa is gaining ground in Kusa. They're thinking about sending Minato, but he's needed at the Northern front against Kumo. That A is too fast for anyone else, it seems..."

Iwa, Kusa, Kumo. The names of the opposing countries perhaps? Iwa and Kumo at least. Kusa seemed more like the current battleground, possibly a bordering land between the two warring countries.

"... would've loved to fight myself, but I have you to look after now. I can't leave you at the mercy of the Clan for months of deployment. Who knows what could..."

To fight herself? Mikoto, gentle, loving and kind Mikoto was a soldier?! Meika... Well, she could see it, when she thought about it. She remembered Mrs Weasley and her formidable and quite frightening rage when Bellatrix attacked Ginny. She remembered Hermione's frankly terrifying expression as she killed Dolohov, the cold fire that borned in her eyes whenever someone even mentioned the man. Then she remembered the fury in Mikoto's voice the first day when she fought with Fugaku, the defiance against someone who clearly outranked her.

Yes, she could see it.

"... hope that it ends soon, but I doubt it. Every shinobi nation is now fighting. It will take years..."

Ah. Shinobi. Su talked about them, in hushed voice and in the cover of darkness. Ninja, she said, the killers and warriors that made bloody money and lived to fight.

A whole nations of killers.

At least she'll fit right in. She had been a killer since she was eleven.

* * *

"I need your help."

Kushina looked up from her bowl of ramen, cheeks bulging and eyes almost closed in bliss. Mikoto was seated across from her, straight-backed, and twirling her chopsticks nimbly, long fingers fast and graceful.

She swallowed before speaking up. Mikoto would've given her tongue lashing of her life otherwise. "With what? I won't be your test subject for genjutsu again, dattebane. Once was enough, thank you." She shivered at the memory. Her friend had a very twisted mind.

Mikoto's lips twitched before she managed reign herself in. Kushina narrowed her eyes, ready to launch in an indignant, one-sided screaming match. Their arguments usually came to that.

But Mikoto interrupted her with a raised hand. "It's about Meika-chan."

Kushina deflated, all of the anger leaving her, worry taking its place. "What about my goddaughter? Is she okay? Do I need to kill someone? I'd be happy to!"

"No, no, she's okay," Mikoto shook her head with a small smile. "It's just... Look, you now that she may never have the Sharingan, don't you?" she asked and Kushina nodded, not knowing why is that relevant. The girl could easily become a kick-ass kunoichi without those freaky eyes, just look at Kushina herself! "Well, Fugaku... Fugaku was angry. He said that the Elders won't approve a female without the doijutsu as an heir and he's right. So he decided that she's... not important."

Kushina stilled in absolute fury. "That... that ass-licking, brown-nosing little bastard! How dare he?! I have a half a mind to..." her rant dissolved in half-spoken, barely discernable curses that would make a sailor blush.

Mikoto's look was partly disapproving and partly impressed. "You won't do anything to my husband, Kushina. I need you for something else." The smile she favored her with was more of a barring of her teeth than anything else, and Kushina felt excitement bubble up inside her.

This was the Uchiha Mikoto that had sent their enemies running to the hills with only a look of her crimson-coloured eyes.

"What do you need me for, then?"

That horrific smile widened. "I can teach my daughter genjutsu, taijutsu and tessenjutsu of our Clan. I need someone to help her with ninjutsu and possibly fuuinjutsu," Mikoto explained. "Who better to teach her than her own godmother?"

Kushina grinned and tilted her head. "Isn't it a little bit early to think about training?" The answer very pointedly wasn't a denial.

Mikoto's expression darkened. "Fugaku thinks her weak. I want to disabuse him of that notion as quickly as possible." The chopsticks, long since stopped their spinning, creaked, at the verge of breaking in her strong grip. "Will you help?"

Kushina knew that with her smile she looked very much like a fox. She widened it even further for an effect. "Of course I'll help! Meika-chan will be the most kick-ass kunoichi in the village, dattebane!"

* * *

 **A/N: Someone mentioned that Su Li is Chinese. I'm aware of that, but I needed someone to teach Harriet Japanese so I decided that Su's mother is from Japan.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay,** **I** **must** **admit** **that** **I** **got** **a** **lot** **more** **reviews** **than** **I** **expected and** **quite** **a** **few** **interesting** **questions** **and** **suggestions**.

 **So,** **here** **are** **some** **answers:**

 **To** **kksambo:** **I** **tried** **to** **imply** **in** **the** **first** **chapter** **that** **the** **eye-color** **was** **a** **result** **of** **some** **sort** **of** **mutation** **or** **maybe** **a** **recessive** **gene** **(I've** **never** **been** **very** **good** **with** **biology)** **that** **makes** **it** **unlikely** **she'll** **develop** **the** **Sharingan.** **I'm** **sorry** **if** **it** **wasn't** **very** **clear.** **Yes,** **Itachi** **will** **be** **born** **and** **yes,** **Meika** **will** **be** **his** **older** **sister.**

 **To** **Anime** **Princess:** **Yes,** **she** **will** **get** **the** **Sharingan** **(It** **would** **be** **kind** **of** **pointless** **to** **make** **her** **an** **Uchiha** **otherwise,** **wouldn't** **it?),** **but** **I** **think** **it** **will** **be** **much** **later.**

 **To** **FlawedMortal:** **You** **have** **some** **really** **interesting** **ideas.** **Yes,** **I** **was** **thinking** **about** **trying** **to** **recreate** **spells,** **but** **more** **along** **the** **line** **of** **really** **powerful** **genjutsus** **and** **compulsions** **than** **anything** **else.** **And** **your** **idea** **about** **Meika** **being** **immune** **to** **compulsion** **based** **genjustus** **does** **have** **merit.** **It** **would** **be** **very** **in** **character** **for** **Harry** _/_ **Harriet.** **Even** **in** **canon** **he** **resisted** **the** **Imperius.** **About** **the** **affinity** **-** **you'll** **just** **have** **to** **wait** **and** **see**.

 **Lot** **of** **you** **asked** **about** **magic.** **No,** **she** **won't** **be** **getting** **it.** **I** **think** **that** **it** **would** **make** **her** **seriously** **overpowered,** **and** **while** **I** **like** **to** **read** **fics** **like** **that** **when** **the** **mood** **strikes** **me,** **I** **don't** **intend** **to** **write** **one** **right** **now.**

 **About** **the** **pairings:** **I** **had** **a** **few** **ideas,** **like** **Kakashi** **and** **Gai** **(If** **only** **for** **the** **sheer** **comedic** **value;** **imagine** **Fugaku's** **reaction,** **or,** **better** **yet,** **Kakashi's!)** , **but** **my** **current** **favourite** **is** **Shisui.** **The** **only** **problem** **is** **that** **I** **can't** **find** **anywhere** **how** **old** **is** **he** **and,** **more** **importantly,** **how** **closely** **related** **they** **are.** **If** **anyone** **knows** , **I** **would** **really** **appreciate** **the** **information.**

* * *

"Come on, sweetheart, we're going to visit Kushina."

Slender, strong arms gripped her tightly and she found herself in a familiar, secure grip of her new mother. Meika reflexively relaxed in her hands, burying her head into a pale neck, inhaling the familiar scent of wildflowers and steel.

A year.

It had been almost a year since her birth, a year in her new life and she was finally getting used to it. The powerless, helpless feeling had abated somewhat with her newfound ability to walk, even if she fell on her backside more often than not. At least she could move, and the sheer exhilaration she felt every time she took an unaided step often took her by surprise. After months and months of being confined to her crib and the hands of whatever adult wanted to hold her next, the ability to move freely (or as freely as a small child was allowed to) was a privilege she will never again take for granted.

She was still weak of course. Her muscles were feeble, her body was delicate and easily hurt, but she was getting better, stronger every day and the possibility of improvement made her feel more comfortable, more satisfied with her new life.

She was learning to speak too. She didn't know exactly when small children were supposed to say their first words, but she intended to be on the safe side and say hers somewhere around her first birthday (which was in a month and a half, according to the strangely excited Mikoto). Until then Meika practiced her vocal chords, trying to speak English, making sure to sound like she spoke gibberish. She had varying degrees of success tough, certainly not as much as she wanted.

But for all of the drawbacks of her situation, there were quite a few of advantages too.

The most useful one was underestimation.

Nobody pays attention to the babies. What was the point? They usually don't understand what adults are talking about and they certainly won't remember it later. No one minds their words around small children, no one even thinks that it would be better not to disclose confidential information in the presence of one.

Meika had managed to learn so, so much.

She learned that she now lived in a military society, were killing was an acceptable career choice. She learned about ninja ranks, about ANBU and Hokage and the Clan Heads. She learned about the other Clans, about the hidden justus and kekkei genkai. She learned about other villages, about unfamiliar countries and foreign nobility.

She learned that she will likely never develop her own Sharingan, the Uchiha bloodline limit.

She also learned that she will be ostracized, ridiculed and dismissed for it.

She shared her mothers opinion about it, truth be said.

But the most important thing she learned was not about her Clan, or village or any kind of politics (although it will be incredibly useful when she grows up; Mikoto and Kushina had some truly beautiful blackmail material about several prominent figures).

The most important thing was about chakra.

This new world did not have magic. Meika had realized that on her first day here, when she recovered from her hysterical crying. There was a distinct lack of barely-leashed pulsing just beneath her skin, an emptiness in her chest where there should've been a tempest of wild power that could not be tamed. She had always been able to feel her magic, the vast force she commanded so easily in her first life. The lack of it, the lack of familiar warmth and comfort was... startling and just a bit devastating.

Then Mikoto mentioned chakra in passing and her hope rekindled.

It took her almost two months of patient meditation, of looking for something unfamiliar inside of her, to find it.

The difference between magic and chakra was staggering.

When she had been Harriet her magic was wild. It was fierce and untamed and it reminded her of a tempest, an unrelenting storm that raged inside her chest, pulsed beneath her skin, just waiting to be released. So much power contained in such a small space always left her with a jittery feeling if not spent in her classes or practises, made her unable to sit still before using it first.

Chakra was... a part of her, fused with her body in a way that magic had never quite managed, too wild to be contained. This new power was different, calmer and she could feel it in every single part of her, in every cell, vein and muscle if she concentrated enough. It was somehow both cool and warm at the same time, smooth, and it flowed like water, far more orderly than the unrestrained magic she was used to.

Meika still hasn't decided whether she liked it or not.

The other advantage, and one she treasured most, was something that no other would pay attention to. But Meika – Harriet – had been an orphan once, without family that cared about her, and she knew its importance.

She had a family now.

Fugaku was still distant and she doubted that he would ever be any different. She suspected that it was his normal behaviour so she was ready to forgive him for being reclusive because she could see that he tried. He visited more often, stayed longer and even attempted to talk to her sometimes, without much success. But it was the thought that counted, and while Meika was sure that she would never see him as a father, a slightly distant relative was becoming more and more possible.

He never looked her in the eyes though.

Mikoto continued to be the perfect mother as before, making sure that she had everything she needed and more, and Meika could now safely say that she loved her as any child would love their own mom. She fed her, played with her and seemed to enjoy dressing her in cute dresses and pretty slippers and brag about her to her friends. Meika would've usually been resentful at the dress-up, but Mikoto was always so proud, her smile bright and happy, her onyx eyes alight, that she couldn't bring herself to trow a tantrum.

So here she was, dressed in an admittedly very lovely, grass-green dress, paraded around the village in the hands of a proud parent.

Meika could admit, if only to herself, that she was as excited to be outside as her mother. This was the first time that she was allowed outside of the Uchiha Compound and the difference was... interesting.

The Uchiha were a traditional clan, their streets were almost quiet, their clothes monotone and their behavior was, well, stuffy. For a girl who had grown up in a bright, colourful Gryffindor alongside the Weasley Twins the atmosphere of the Clan was quite stifling. Konoha, in contrast, was heaving with people, lively and loud, filled with smells and colours and sounds unlike anything she'd ever seen. From the merchants haggling at the market to the shinobi rushing along the rooftops, everything was new, interesting.

Meika liked new her new home.

It took them about fifteen minutes to arrive to their destination, a small apartment building in a quieter part of the village, and as soon as they entered they were greeted with a loud laugh and a mane of bright red hair.

"Meika-chan!" Kushina shouted when she saw them, stealing her from Mikoto's hands with an enormous grin on her lips and promptly plopped her in her own lap as she sat in a brightly-lit kitchen of the apartment. "Came to see your Aunt Kushina, did you? Ooh, we're going to have so much fun today, dattebane! I've just made some ramen."

Meika gurgled happily, always glad to see one of her new favourite persons in the world. Kushina was a breath of fresh air after dealing with her arrogant Clan. The woman was full of life, vibrant and unstoppable in a way that only Fred and George had ever managed. With her ruby red hair, her large grin and mischievous eyes she reminded her of twins in a way that sent a pang of nostalgia in her chest every time she saw her.

It was not necessary a bad feeling. Meika missed her friends and every reminder of the good times spent together was welcome.

Mikoto seated herself across from Kushina, a smile dancing on her lips, her eyes soft and exasperatedly fond in a way that only the redhead could elicit. "She made her first steps just a few days ago, Kushina. I was sad that you couldn't be there."

Kushina's smile dimmed in disappointment, and she hugged Meika's body more tightly. "Aww, come on, Meika-chan! I thought we had a deal. I allow you to eat ramen and you allow me to see your first steps! We both agreed!"

Meika would like to beg to differ, considering she couldn't even talk, but Kushina was never one for logic, so trying, even if she could, would be useless.

Instead, she just murmured something incomprehensible, and pulled at the bright red hair harshly before she stuck it in her mouth. That would distract her for sure.

"Hey!"

Meika giggled.

Yes, there were quite a few benefits.

* * *

"The Elders are pushing for an heir."

Mikoto paused in her movements momentarily, a slight lapse almost unnoticeable to even the most well-trained ninja, before she continued to brush her hair steadily. The mass of raven-coloured silk fell around her shoulders, caressing her neck, and she could feel her husband's eyes on her, watching her half-hungrily, half-indeferently.

Fugaku never could make up his own mind.

"We already have an heir," she made sure that her voice was soft and respectful, that no trace of her anger could be heard. If her hand clenched tightly around the brush, if her knuckles whitened with the force, well, he certainly couldn't see it from that angle.

"No, we don't, and you know it, Mikoto. Do not play obtuse," he snapped harshly.

"Meika is our eldest child. She's our heir," Mikoto claimed steadily, confidently.

Fugaku made a sound of frustration, his fists clenching and a grimace twisting his face. "Meika will never be my heir!"

Mikoto stopped every movement, her body going predatory still for a smallest second, before she calmly put the ornate brush down and stood up gracefully. She tried to stay collected, tried not to show her rage, but something must've shown on her face or in her eyes because Fugaku took a sudden step back.

"Why?" The word was bitten out, abrupt and sharp, a thousand accusations in only three letters.

Fugaku took a deep breath. "Because the Clan won't respect her. They won't listen to her. They won't allow her to lead them." It was a simple answer, a short explanation, but implied much, much more.

Mikoto moved then, stalking to his side, smooth and graceful, the very embodiment of a kunoichi, despite not lifting a weapon for over a year. She placed her hand on his arm, and he stiffened abruptly. "They won't respect her?" she purred. "Because she's a woman? Or because she won't have a Sharingan?"

"Both," he answered bluntly.

Mikoto's nails dug into his flesh, before she let go and retreated a step back. "Not good enough," she hissed.

Anger twisted his features, and this time it was Fugaku who reached out and grabbed her hand in a vice-like grip. "Not good enough?" he growled, every word twisted with the force of his rage. "How about this then? She could become my heir. She could inherit the Clan. But what then? She would be in charge of hundreds well-trained, power-hungry shinobi who do not respect her, who do not care about her and who would certainly not hesitate to rebel. She would inherit a disobedient, broken family, and she would break herself trying to fix it! Did you even think about that before you started to feel indignant?!"

Mikoto stared, wide-eyed and stunned, never before seeing him lose control so much. He was panting, out of breath, red-faced with feverish eyes, gripping her hand almost painfully.

It took him a moment, but he calmed down, releasing her hand. "I will not have my daughter, my eldest child drive herself to her breaking point over something that could easily be avoided," Fugaku said, calmly, but forcefully. "Meika will not be my heir."

Mikoto nodded, almost dumbly, her mind racing and coming to the only possibly conclusion. "Very well," she said, and tried not to feel like she was betraying her own child.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the long wait. This chapter was kinda rushed so maybe some of you won't like it, but I didn't want to leave you hanging any longer. Thanks for all of the reviews, especially those who answered some of my questions about Shusui.**

* * *

Meika hated kanji.

"Look, sweetheart, this one says 'head'," Mikoto said, her voice encouraging, as her manicured fingers glided over dark, too complicated characters, reading them with enviable ease.

Meika scrunched her nose in frustration. Her new mother had decided that at almost two years old, she was smart enough to comprehend the basics of reading. And while she couldn't help to agree with the assessment, she was getting increasingly irritated with the lack of progress. Kanji was difficult, almost ridiculously so. There were hundreds, thousands of different characters, all incredibly similar to her eyes. She was accustomed to the simple writing of the English alphabet and the sudden jump from one to another was startling.

Su had taught her the spoken Japanese. She had never even mentioned the written part of the language.

She was all alone in this one.

"Can you tell me which one is this, Meika-chan?" Mikoto tapped one perfectly shaped fingernail against the scroll she used to teach her to read. Meika had the sneaking suspicion that it was actually a taijutsu scroll, considering the carefully inked pictures of defense positions.

Meika had realized early on that her ninja training had already started.

It begun when Mikoto decided that the gory, horrific stories about long-dead, legendary shinobi would be a good entertainment for her, then one and a half year old, daughter. She described the fights, talked in hushed, awed voice about powerful, earth-shattering jutsus, brilliantly cunning strategies and world-changing events. She talked about war, legends about demons and chakra beasts, and the general greatness of the ninja forces.

If Meika hadn't been quietly horrified at the level of indoctrination, she would've been impressed. That was positively Slytherin, starting them so young.

Her 'training' didn't end there. Her mother insisted on playing Cat's Cradle with her, along with a number of other games that improved the dexterity of her fingers. She spoke more often about 'cool' jutsus and used handseals a lot slower than Meika knew she was able to, always making sure her daughter could see them. For her first birthday most of the presents she had received were something connected with ninja profession. Toy shuriken and kunai, storybooks with shinobi in leading roles and even Kushina had given her a small, child-sized wooden katana, which made her realize that this early training was actually common for Clan children. Mikoto had recently even allowed her to come with her on her morning exercise, permitting her to awkwardly try and imitate the yoga-like routines that seem to increase her flexibility. Sneaking around was tolerated, encouraged even, as was eavesdropping. The general opinion seemed to be that if you were caught saying something sensitive by a child, you deserved it. Meika had a an awful suspicion that stealing and trap making would be next.

Basically, they were training her to kill since she was nothing more than a baby.

One the bright side, she wouldn't be sent to fight an insanely powerful man with fifty years more experience without any training this time. (Goddamn Dumbledore.)

Today they were working on her reading skills. They started three weeks ago and the progress was almost agonizingly slow, enough to make Meika want to rip the damned scroll to shreds. Only the fact that it could contain potentially valuable information stopped her, along with the fact that Mikoto would grace her with her very best 'i'm incredibly dissapointed at you' look that she had wrongly thought she was immune of. But apparently, Molly Weasley and Albus Dumbledore could not induce guilt like Uchiha Mikoto.

She squinted at the damned squiggles, trying to differentiate one from another. "It says... hands?" she asked, unsure, but quickly grinned delightedly when Mikoto flicked her nose approvingly.

"Yes, darling. You are a little genius, aren't you?" Mikoto let out an airy, bell-like laugh that seemed to brighten the room.

Ah, a genius. That word had been following her for quite some time now. Apparently she had started walking and speaking a little earlier than she should've, and she was just a touch too coordinated, just a shade too articulate. Mikoto had immediately declared her to be a prodigy, a genius, and even Fugaku had agreed before he was deployed to Kumo a month ago. She couldn't deny the pleasure she felt at the praise tough, even if she did have an unfair advantage. Harriet had been almost insultingly average at anything that was unconnected to Dueling, Warding and Flying, and most of those skills she had inherited from her parents. But here she had actual parents to praise her, so she... reveled in it.

It was so different from her childhood with the indifferent Dursleys that it made her giddy.

She really liked her new life.

Even if most of her new family were professional killers.

* * *

"Kushina, put that down! I don't want any sharp objects near my daughter for at least a year yet!"

Kushina pouted cutely, carefully putting the kunai down at the table under the force of Mikoto's onyx glare. Meika sighed in relief. She loved her godmother, she truly did, but the amount of childishness she could take from a fully grown person – no matter that she was technically a child herself – was severely restricted, making her very irritated. Her irritation only gave place to fear when Kushina started to play with sharp, pointy objects in close proximity to her new, extremely delicate body.

Thankfully, Mikoto was there to be a voice of common sense, like always.

"Aaah, but you allow her to play with the katana I gave her," Kushina whined, starting to fiddle with her calligraphy brushes instead of the kunai. She was full of nervous energy, twitching and jumping, and Meika suspected that she had recently came home from a stressful mission, or was on sugar high. Both were equally possible and had already happened before.

Meika continued trying to avoid the conversation, turning her attention to the said katana. It was beautifully made, carefully balanced and carved with the pattern of dancing flames and falling leaves. It was also quite a bit heavier than it should be judging by its size, so Meika suspected that it was reinforced with metal to help her with her strength.

Sneaky ninjas.

She didn't complain, tough. It will only help her in the long run.

Above her, Mikoto placed her teacup on the saucer with a sigh. "The katana is not sharp. The kunai are." The tone managed to convey her opinion about Kushina's intelligence quite nicely. Meika was impressed.

Kushina very obviously wasn't. In fact, she seemed to ignore the remark completely. "When could I start training her, Mikoto? It's been almost two years already. That's, like, eternity! She should at least be able to learn calligraphy."

Calligraphy. Hadn't it been a nice surprise when Meika realized that Kushina was incredibly adept at calligraphy. The same Kushina that regularly ate at least ten bowls of ramen, the Kushina that couldn't color-coordinate to save her life, the same Kushina who cracked dirty jokes in public only to see her too-proper boyfriend blush. That same Kushina, who seemed to detest any 'girly hobbies', as she called them, enjoyed calligraphy.

And she was very good at it. Her lines were fast, precise, not a drop out of place, everything the same shade of inky black, her characters neat and orderly, minimalistic. There was a strange beauty in the almost clinically accurate works her godmother produced, almost entirely without ornamentation, and it took a breath away from Meika every time she saw them.

Naturally, Kushina being Kushina, she used her talent mainly to write down the previously mentioned dirty jokes and leave them somewhere for Minato to see. It was hilarious to watch the lauded Yellow Flash stammering, tripping over his own words as he tried to hide his red face and reprimand his utterly unrepentant girlfriend at the same time.

And of course, she used it for Sealing. Can't forget the Sealing.

"Soon, I think," Mikoto answered, a proud smile stretching her lips. "She's improving faster than I expected."

Meika looked up at that, honestly surprised. Apparently the reading lessons were going really well. Huh, that was news to her, but she supposed that her adult brain must learn quicker than a child's would have.

"Anyway, enough about that," Mikoto waived away the previous conversation. There was a glint in her eyes that promised interesting news and Meika, suddenly interested, walked closer, leaning in to hear better. Her mother always had the best gossip.

Kushina, too, seemed eager. A foxy grin spread across her face. "Oooh, what is it? Did Inoichi finally grew a pair and decided to propose? It's about the damned time, dattebane!"

Mikoto shook her head and smiled fondly at the sudden frustration on Kushina's face. From what Meika had heard before, Kushina had placed a lot of money on Inoichi proposing this month. Apparently, the whole Village was in on the bet.

"Something even better," Mikoto said as she leaned back, lips curving into smirk, placing her hands on her stomach. A sudden suspicion formed in Meika's mind. "I'm pregnant."

Meika's eyes widened. Kushina's jaw dropped. Mikoto's smirk spread even further.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I simply lost all inspiration and had no idea what to write. Honestly, this chapter is a product of my procrastination tendencies since I was supposed to study for my exams. It's little rushed, and my writing style has changed, but I hope you like it anyway. Writing from a child's POV was pain.**

 **A quick question: Uchiha Massacre or no Massacre? I kind of really want to write it, but Meika doesn't strike me as someone who would be OK with killing her family for the village. Maybe for Itachi and Sasuke she would, though, I don't know. Thoughts?**

 **Read and review.**

* * *

Uchiha Itachi looked like a red prune.

Meika was…mildly freaked out, when she wasn't too busy being almost deliriously happy.

She had a brother.

She had a _little brother_. The thought alone made her grin madly.

She'd never had a brother before. When she had been Harriet, Ron and Neville had come close, very close. They were the nearest thing she'd ever had to a family, them and Hermione, Ginny and Luna, all of them having survived the Ministry, Sirius' death and subsequent war together. They were the leaders, the generals, the ones who made the tough decision, so they were allowed to be weak, emotional and vulnerable only with each other. They were a family, strange and dysfunctional and more than little co-dependant, but a family nonetheless.

But they were not _blood_ , they had not shared her childhood, the abuse and neglect and that made all the difference. They were Harriet's family, but they had never been able to _understand_ her, not completely.

Itachi would not be able to either, thanks to her previous life, but he was her little brother, and _that_ … well, that made him _hers_ in a way she had not had since Sirius died.

Hers to look after, hers to protect, hers to care for.

She'd never had _that_ before, either.

She'd never had someone to protect, not in that way.

Ron, Neville, Hermione, Ginny and Luna were her equals. Maybe not as powerful, or a fast to draw a wand, but they did not require her protection. They never had. The rest of her soldiers were… not expendable, not exactly, but she _was_ ready to sacrifice them for the greater good of the civilians. And the civilians themselves… well, she _did_ protect them, at the cost of the lives of her people, of her friends, but they had always been an abstract concept. Not there.

Itachi… Itachi was there.

"Meika-chan, would you like to hold your otouto?"

Meika hesitated. Mikoto and she were the only ones in the room, since both Kushina and Fugaku were at the war front, fighting, and Mikoto's screaming and cursing had effectively chased off the Elders hoping for an heir. Though, the messages were sent to the Uchiha Clan Head that his wife was in labour, and Hokage-sama had granted him five months leave.

He still wasn't with them. Meika had never saw him as her father and she understood his reasons, but his absence still infuriated her. The whole matter of the war made her uneasy, truth be told.

Meika fidgeted uncertainly. "Can I?" she asked. She was only two years old in this life, after all. And the baby looked awfully fragile, all swathed in white cloth, only the small, red face peeking out.

Mikoto's smile was gentle. "Come here," she said, and moved sideways on her bed to make place for her. Meika clambered up with some difficulty – she was happy that she was able to walk, but her height left much to be desired – and leaned into the familiar warmth of her mother.

The tiny bundle was passed to her hands and Meika gasped. He was so _small_. Small and soft and warm in a way that made her smile radiantly. He _did_ look like a prune, even more from this close, but his Uchiha onyx eyes were bright and intelligent and his slowly flailing arms, grabbing at the inky darkness of her hair, made her giggle.

"He's cute," she said.

Mikoto laughed airily, but there was a tinge of exhaustion in the lines of her face, the dark shadows under her eyes. "Yes, he is. You were cute too, Meika-chan, when you were born." Mikoto drew her closer and the girl knew she was remembering Fugaku's reaction. She leaned further in.

She was aware of the political implication of Itachi's birth. Her gender and her eyes made her ineligible as an heir, at least in the Elders' eyes, and Itachi was a replacement. Still, she could not resent him, and neither could Mikoto. He was a treasure, her brother, a part of her family, and she'd never really cared for stupid titles anyway, not beyond the advantage they gave her in the political arena after the War.

Mikoto cared though, had always cared, Meika could tell, and the rejection of her daughter had hurt her more than it did Meika herself.

Meika looked at her, too shrewd for her age, as she steadied Itachi in her hands and pulled him to her chest. "You should sleep, Kaa-chan," she said.

Soft, onyx eyes gazed at her from the beautiful face. Mikoto looked thoughtful. "You will look after your little brother, won't you, Meika-chan?" Her voice carried more weight than the question really deserved, but Meika understood.

She would protect him. From Konoha's enemies, from threat inside the village, from grasping Clan member, from Fugaku himself if she had to.

She nodded solemnly, her emerald green orbs meeting her mother's warm gaze. "Always, Kaa-chan."

* * *

Uchiha Meika-hime had very pretty eyes.

Shisui told her so. "You have pretty eyes." His father's hand tightened on his shoulder at the disrespect, but Meika smiled brightly. Her eyes looked even prettier when she smiled, lighting up like coloured stones he had seen in his mother's prized necklace.

"Thank you," she said happily. She was a small thing, shorter than him, which delighted him – there were not many children his age in the Clan and he had always been the youngest – with oval face of Mikoto-sama and straight dark hair of their family.

Mikoto-sama was smiling too. It was a nice smile, but it reminded him of the one his Kaa-chan wore when she talked with Obaa-san. Kaa-chan did not like Obaa-san at all. "You have a very nice boy, Daiki-san," she said, and at least sounded like she meant it. She bent down to look in Meika's eyes. Her smile was real for her daughter. "Meika-chan, Fugaku and I have some business with Daiki-san. Would you like to play with Shisui-kun?"

Shisui's eyes widened. Mikoto-sama was talking to the little girl like she was adult, all polite with her questions, and Meika understood her anyway. Wasn't she just two years old? But they did call her a prodigy, so she was supposed to be real smart, maybe as smart as Shisui himself.

They called him a prodigy too.

He grinned at the girl, delighted.

Finally, somebody who got it!

Meika-hime was still smiling at him. She dipped her head in Mikoto-sama's direction, a movement that looked elegant on her mother, but strangely cute and doll-like on her. "Yes, Kaa-chan. I'll show him Ita-chan."

The matriarch's smile widened and gentled. "You do that," she said and stood up to meet eyes with Shisui's father. "Come, Daiki-san. Fugaku has been expecting you." She left, almost gliding over the ground, and his father followed with a last squeeze of his shoulder.

Shisui looked at the girl.

As soon as her mother left the room, she sidled closer to him on quiet feet and tilted her head to look up to him. "Shisui-kun, right?" she asked and he nodded, a little intimidated. She was short and delicate-looking, pale-skinned and dressed in a pretty dress, but her eyes made him think of Noboru-jisan, who had come back from the war front unharmed, but different. He'd once tried to stab Shisui's father with kunai when he was approached too fast. "Do you want to meet my little brother?"

She had a _little_ brother? Someone even _younger_ than them?

Shisui nodded enthusiastically.

He followed her into the house, through the twisting corridors and into the nursery. There was a small crib inside, made of some kind of honey-coloured wood, and they tip-toed closer to take a look inside.

Ita-chan was small. Shisui, since the first time had gone well, said so. "He's small. And cute."

Meika's smile was wide and bright. Her eyes shone. "Isn't he just?" she said and caressed the baby's cheek with a gentle hand. She sounded clever. Weren't two year olds supposed to babble and gurgle while toddling around? Shisui didn't know. _He'd_ never done that, but he heard Kaa-san say he was supposed to.

Maybe that was what being a prodigy meant.

Shisui glanced at the girl, who was still looking at Ita-chan in interest. "Are you smart?" he asked.

She looked up at him and shrugged her little shoulder. "Everybody says so. And you?"

He also shrugged. "Everybody says it to me too."

Her green eyes were sharp as she looked at him. "The adults want us to be friends, you know."

"I know. Otou-san said I must make you like me since you'll be important to the Clan later on," he admitted, scratching his neck sheepishly. She seemed like a nice enough girl and he didn't want her to be angry at him for lying,

She blinked at him, surprised. "Ah." She offered him a big, genuine smile. "Well, then. We should be friends." She offered him a hand. He shook it solemnly.

After a few minutes of looking after Ita-chan – he really was cute, even while he slept – Shisui broke the silence. "Say, Meika-hime," he started as she looked up, seemingly bewildered at the title. He didn't get why she was confused. Her dad was a Clan Head, she was his daughter, so Shisui was going to call her hime, because she _was_. "Do you like pranks?"

He didn't know what a two year old girl could do to help him, but Meika seemed to be someone who would find a way anyway.

Her smile lit up her whole face. Her pretty eyes were glittering. "Come, Shisui-kun. We should talk."

Shisui followed after her without thinking.


	6. Chapter 6

When Meika was five, it was decided that she was old enough to attend the Shinobi Academy.

She was quietly horrified.

The thing was, nobody had asked her. They'd asked Mikoto, who was still her primary caregiver in the eyes of the adults. They'd asked Fugaku, who _was_ actually her father in this life, no matter how hard she tried to deny it, and her Clan Head besides. They'd even asked the Clan Elders, who she had never met, but who seemed to enjoy sticking their noses in other people's business immensely.

Nobody had asked _her_.

It was demeaning, disrespectful, and simply _appalling_.

Never mind that she would have said yes even if they had – she refused to remain defenceless on principle. The fact was, they _hadn't_ , and even if she was not actually five years old, _they_ didn't know that, and it hadn't stopped them from signing her in for the future full of blood and death.

It… made her realise some truly uncomfortable things about her Clan. About her parents.

About Mikoto.

Meika… didn't like it. She hadn't even realised that she had managed to turn her new mother in some kind of saintly figure until Mikoto happened to completely disregard her opinion. No, not disregard. It was even worse. She did not care enough – or did not think her smart enough – to even _ask_ for it.

It hurt. It wounded something deep inside her chest, the part of herself she remembered always bleeding whenever she found a body of a friend, left for dead after a battle. It reminded her uncomfortably of the life she had left behind, of always being disappointed by the adults, of only ever trusting her friends completely. In her last life, adults did _nothing_. Children supported her, children fought with her, children _died_ for her. Adults… They simply failed her.

Mikoto disappointed her, and since she had lowered her guard in this new universe, she had not been ready.

She would not make the same mistake again. Never again. Itachi depended on her.

Still, she dutifully went to school – and got some truly disturbing flashbacks of her time in Hogwarts, both good and bad – and didn't raise hell for them, if only because she actually _wanted_ to attend. To be left helpless, powerless, in this new and strange world while she had Itachi to protect was unacceptable.

Especially now when her Clan revealed its true colours.

At least Shisui was excited.

He was two years older than her, in this new body of hers, and already attending the Academy. He was expected to graduate at the top of his class in a year or so, and everyone was gratingly smug about the fact that the Uchiha Clan produced such a prodigy. And he _was_ clever, with a weird combination of Hermione's sheer brilliance, and the twins' effortless creativity that made the Elders go mad when he decided to start another pranking spree. Meika, despite her general dislike of immaturity and, you know, _small children_ , did actually like him and considered him a true friend.

She had a feeling that the twins would have approved. Kushina certainly did.

The Academy, though, was not as fun as advertised. In fact, it was almost deadly boring. Partially, it was because she was mentally older than most of the teachers and the childishness of her classmates rubbed her the wrong way, and partially because she knew most of the material by heart.

Taijutsu was, admittedly, interesting, but they covered only the Academy basics, most of which she had already gone through with Mikoto and Shisui. Ninjutsu was only available to the older years, and even then only the three fundamental justus. And the basic genjutsu… It was so pathetically easy that Meika wondered how _no one else_ in the whole class – most of them at least a year or two older than her – couldn't do it.

Shouta-sensei claimed that it was because she had exceptional chakra control. And she supposed she could understand that. Chakra was not something she had had in her first body, was not even similar to magic by the way it felt, so its presence was easy to detect for her, and easy to manipulate. For others, who did not know any other existence, feeling chakra at this stage of training was probably a bit like trying to feel your blood flow – impossible.

Kunoichi classes, though, were waste of her time. They were useless, hilarious in the way the teachers took themselves so seriously, and demeaning; because, according to the Academy curriculum, only girls were being trained for infiltration and seduction. She would have refused to go on principle, but if she wanted to skip a few years and join Shisui when he graduated, she had to be the best at _everything_. Even something as stupid as _flower arranging_. (Meika understood the need to blend in, she _did_ , but really? _Flower arranging_?)

And Meika would. Skip a few years, that was. If she didn't, if she allowed a seven years old _kid_ to finish a school before her, her pride – what was left of it after the goddamned _nappies_ – would never survive.

Not to mention that Hermione would find a way to cheat death and cross dimensions just to kill her.

Her best friend was scary like that.

* * *

"Aneki?"

Meika looked up from the scroll she was reading and met Itachi's eyes with her own strange green orbs. "Yes, Ita-chan?"

Itachi refused to blush at the affectionate nickname, but he did look down at his feet, shuffling closer to his sister. Meika, sharp and clever in the ways of three years old geniuses, caught his hesitation immediately and scooted down the boulder she was sitting on, patting the empty space beside her.

He sat and placed his pale hands in his lap despite wanting to wring them. Father said that the Uchiha did not wring their hands. "When will the war end?" he said quietly, asking the only person that answered _all_ of his questions. He could not go to Otou-san, because he was distracted with Clan business and would not have time to answer. He could not even ask Okaa-san, who was very good at answering questions, because she was out there, fighting, with Kushina-san at her side.

Meika looked at him, her eyes filled with understanding. "Is this about yesterday?"

Itachi nodded.

Yesterday, a convoy from the warfront came back, carrying the wounded and the dead. Itachi had never before seen anything like that, and it hurt something deep in his chest every time he remembered. There had been an Inuzuka boy at the gates, waiting, and when he had seen one of his clansmen dead on a stretcher, his agonized howl had made Itachi want to cry. There had been _many_ more corpses. Some of them only a year of two older than Aneki.

Itachi fought off a shudder.

Meika, sensing his mood, slung a slender hand over his shoulder and drew him closer. He tried not to bury his nose in her neck like a baby. "I don't know when the war will end, but I heard that Suna is slowly lagging behind. With the defection of Akasuna no Sasori they've lost their best fighter. Kumo is going as strong as ever, but Kaa-chan and Kushina especially are successfully fighting off Iwa."

Itachi relaxed into her side even more. "How do you know all that?" he asked, because he'd always wondered. Meika knew the bet gossip, more than most of the adults did, in fact, and she always shared with him and Shisui when they asked.

Aneki's smile was wicked. "I'm a five year old girl, Ita-chan. Nobody notices if someone so young listens in on important conversations. And even if they do, they don't think I understand."

Itachi frowned. Meika understood _everything_. "But you're a prodigy."

Meika giggled, the sound vibrating through Itachi's ribs. "A _five year old_ prodigy. Most of the adults will only ever see your age. Use it to your advantage."

Itachi obediently nodded his understanding. It made sense. Like when some of her older classmates thought she was weak because she was a girl and small, and then Aneki always surprised them and beat them up easily.

They sat together for a few minutes, surrounded by comfortable silence. Itachi listened Meika's steady breathing while his older sister went through the scroll at steady pace. She frowned occasionally, dissatisfied, and Itachi was willing to bet that the material did not offer enough explanation for Meika.

It rarely did.

When he felt that the silence had gone on long enough, Itachi shifted hesitatingly. "Aneki…"

She glanced at him, green eyes attentive. "Yes?"

Itachi looked away and refused to meet her eyes. "Are you going to fight in the war?" he asked, rushing, because this question had been nagging at him ever since he saw those small, _small_ corpses and crying families.

"Ita-chan," Meika sighed, but Itachi was careful not to catch her gaze and she sighed again. "Itachi," she said, determinedly. The use of his full name startled him, and his gaze skittered to her face, before he looked away just as fast. " _Look at me_." There was a pale, calloused hand at his cheek, turning his head gently and Itachi met the green depths of Meika's eyes.

They were sad, just as he had been afraid of when he'd asked the question, but they were also filled with some sort of understanding and not a trace of pity, and something in Itachi relaxed.

Her lips were thinned as she obviously thought over his question. "Listen to me carefully now, Itachi," she said, and even though she _never ever_ ordered him to do anything, not really, Itachi knew when to obey. He listened. "I don't know if I will be sent to fight," she said, and his eyes dropped down as he tried to ward off tears. "Listen," Aneki repeated. "I don't know. But I know that they're letting the genin graduate early so that they can free the more experienced fighters. I know that Shisui-kun and I are prodigies, and that Shisui-kun _will_ graduate soon. And I know that I'm _not_ letting him go out there alone."

Itachi nodded and buried his face in her chest. Meika fisted a hand in his hair. "Do you understand why I want to fight, Itachi?"

"To protect Shisui?"

He could feel the inky strands of her hear drag across his skin as she nodded. "And to protect you, and Kaa-chan, and even Konoha to some extent."

Itachi scooted away just enough to meet her eyes, his own filled with worry. "But isn't Konoha meant to come first?"

Meika lifted one dark eyebrow. "They certainly try to teach us that, don't they?" she said, and there was something wry in her voice as she did.

Itachi's throat tightened. Treason. He was smart enough to know that it was treason Meika was talking about, that putting _anything_ before the village was just _not done_.

He was also smart enough to understand where she was coming from. And to agree.

He re-buried his face in the familiar, comforting warmth of Aneki's body. "But what if you get hurt?" he asked, because he couldn't force himself to voice the real question. _But what if you die?_

Meika's hum was knowing and her hands tightened around him. "Then I get hurt fighting for something I believe in. It's a better fate than many others." She paused as she placed a warm hand at his back for support. "But I'm not likely to get hurt. Even if they send me out there, it's not likely that they're going to trust a fresh genin with anything dangerous or important."

Itachi let out a breath he did not know he was holding. "Good."

They stayed like that for a long while.

* * *

 **So, I gave Itachi a sister complex. Tell me, is anyone out there really surprised?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you all for your reviews! I'm really flattered that you like the fic so much.**

 **Another quick question: Your thoughts about Meika and Shisui's third teammate? I have some ideas for a sensei, but I'll welcome the suggestions there too.**

* * *

Meika grunted as she blocked Shisui's kick with her shin, her bones reverberating from the impact. She lashed out with her left hand, the sharp-edged iron ribs of her tessen glinting in the afternoon sunlight as the fan came dangerously close to slitting her friend's throat. Shisui managed to tilt his shoulders just so, and avoid the impact, but the following jab with the closed fan in her right hand caught him in the ribs.

Shisui flinched, cursed, and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Meika stilled.

She was breathing heavily, her skin caked with sweat and dirt, a deep ache in her muscles and strain in her tendons. But she was also grinning ear to ear, high with adrenaline, her heartbeat a thumping staccato that she had missed until their sparring sessions started. Meika hadn't even realised how much the lack of challenge had weighted on her, until Shisui offered to help her train.

They were just about evenly matched. Shisui had the height and reach on his side, and he would always be physically stronger than her simply by being a male. But Meika was fast and agile, skilled with her tessen – Mikoto was a capable teacher when she had the time – and she had years of combat experience to draw upon, even if most of it wasn't really applicable.

Shisui was a challenge.

It had galled at first, tying in a fight with a _seven years old_ boy, but she was in a body of a little girl, and Shisui trained as much as she did. It was… reasonable to assume that he would be able to keep up. Though, she was sure that in a life or death situation, she would be the one left standing, if only because of her instincts and knowledge from her last life.

There was a slight displacement of air as someone appeared right behind her, a trickle of Shisui's water-smooth chakra teasing her senses, and her muscles tensed as she leapt to the side, avoided a jab to her neck and snapped her tessen open to deflect the simultaneously thrown shuriken. One managed to slip past her guard and slice a deep line over her fingers. Meika twitched, gritted her teeth and ignored the blood dripping down her palm as she swung her leg to kick him in the chest.

Another swirl of leaves – and she was really starting to _hate_ that technique – and a volley of thrown kunai from her left made her jump in the air to avoid them, her chakra pumping through her limbs as she augmented her strength. Shisui was already waiting for her up there, his foot outstretched for a kick, and if she were a normal Academy student she would have been unable to avoid it. But Meika smirked, snapped her tessen in his direction, pumping chakra through the conductive metal, the bolt of pale blue lashing out fast enough that he had to abort the movement. It was a waste, but Meika couldn't do the elemental manipulation just yet so the raw chakra would have to do for the time being.

They both landed simultaneously with soft thumps, facing each other, breathing heavily.

Shisui relaxed first, his hands dropping to his sides, the kunai disappearing in the pouches. "Hime," he said, grinning. "Did you just attack me with raw chakra through your tessen?"

Meika returned the grin and dropped down to sit on the ground, snapping her fans shut and placing them in her sleeves. When she had been Harriet, kimonos and yukatas seemed unnecessarily cumbersome, but now, when Mikoto insisted she wear them, she realised just _how much_ weapons she could hide in them. It made her giddy. "Okaa-san said they are chakra conductive. They're not really made for raw chakra, of course, but since I don't know any jutsus yet, I can afford to lose some of my reserves."

Shisui wandered over, allowing himself to fall beside her on the grass. "Well, it was a good move. Sure surprised me."

Meika's smile gained a satisfied edge. "Good. Then nobody else will expect it either." That it was because Shisui knew her best was left unsaid.

Her best friend shifted where he sat, drawing a kunai and a whetstone before bowing over the weapon. "Do you think you'll join me in my class soon?" he asked, voice hopeful. Shisui was a cheerful boy, easy to befriend, but she knew that his genius isolated him within his class, just as well as hers did. It must be trying to a young boy, being resented and put on pedestal just because he did everything _better_.

Meika sighed, drawing her fingers through her sweat-soaked hair and pulling it up in a messy bun. "Shouta-sensei says that my evaluation is next week. We'll see then."

Shisui patted her back comfortingly. "Don't worry. You'll do great."

Meika didn't worry, not really. She knew that she would get promoted to the next class. Her academic scores were excellent, her taijutsu and genjutsu leaps and bounds ahead of her classmates, and they only now started teaching them the basic academy three jutsus. It would take something drastic to happen for her not to advance.

"I know," she said, and hesitated. "If we really graduate in a year, there's a good chance the war will still be going strong."

She could feel Shisui stiffening beside her. "Yeah," he said, voice soft.

Meika sighed. "Itachi is worried."

"Of course he is," Shisui snorted. "That boy worships the ground you walk on. If you're hurt, I don't know how he would react."

Meika winced. She didn't know either. "Well," she said. "We'll just have to survive then, won't we?"

"Yeah," Shisui said, and there was nothing of the fun-loving prankster she had first met in his face. The war had made them grow up more quickly and it showed. "We will."

* * *

"Do you think she's ready?"

Kushina looked up from the storage seal she was currently painting, hands steady and eyes curious. "Why are you asking me that? Meika-chan is the most kickass little brat I've ever seen! She's ready, dattebane!"

"Don't call my daughter a brat, Kushina," Mikoto snapped, but it lacked the usual strength. She really looked worried. "She's good, I know. Her tessenjutsu is exceptional for her age. But… she's only five, Kushina. That's… very young."

Kushina put her brush down, careful not to smear her work. Mikoto was hesitating and that meant the situation was serious. "Some shinobi graduated even younger than that. Look at Kashi-chan. Genin at five, and he's doing well enough!"

The look Mikoto graced her with was drier than air in Suna. "I'm pretty sure that Hatake Kakashi is no one's example of a well-adjusted shinobi."

Kushina grinned. "I don't know. I've heard some of the Council find his by-the-rule behaviour praiseworthy." And didn't that show just how out of touch with the general populations the old geezers really were?

Mikoto snorted. "And did any of them have to serve with him and fear for their safety because the child might prioritise mission over their lives? I know that Minato acts as a buffer most of the time, but sooner or later someone's going to get hurt."

Kushina's smile dimmed. That was true enough. Konoha was a village that prided itself on its teamwork, and even if Danzo and his ilk liked their subordinates emotionless, the general shinobi population needed to know that they can depend on their comrades. Kashi-chan was good and talented, and Kushina liked the brat, but if he continued on like this he would lose what little friends he had in service.

"Meika's smart little thing. She won't turn out like that."

"She could turn out worse," Mikoto said, her smile gaining a sardonic edge, she was twirling her senbon between her fingers, round and round and round, a nervous gesture that she only allowed herself around her friends. "Fugaku is satisfied."

Kushina frowned in thought. "Is this about Fugaku? You don't want him to be satisfied?"

Mikoto shrugged delicately, fingers stilling for a moment before resuming their motion. "I think… I think that he wants to use her to better our position in the village. Her, Shisui and Itachi." There was no mistaking the worry in her voice.

"He would be stupid not use them," Kushina pointed out reasonably. To have three prodigies in a single generation was a thing a clan can boast about for _decades_. And if he wanted to place them in favourable positions and make them work for the betterment of the family… It was just common sense in shinobi villages, really.

Kushina may be a goof and a prankster, but she had been a member of a clan once. She knew very well what clan ambition may do to its children.

"Yes," Mikoto sighed. "He would."

Kushina pressed her advantage. "And Meika-chan is too clever for her own good sometimes. She can take care of herself. And she has that friend of hers to help her." Kushina liked Uchiha Shisui. He was a boy after her own heart, a true prankster with enough imagination to think of some truly _great_ things and enough smarts to pull them off.

And he got Meika-chan to relax a little every now and then, which was a huge plus in Kushina's book.

Mikoto closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her composure slipping back, her face becoming its usual serene mask. "Well said, Kushina. It seems that you can actually make sense from time to time. Congratulations!"

Kushina straightened in her seat, offended. "I can make sense, dattebane! I make lots of sense all the time!" she said, and then, before Mikoto could express her incredulity, continued on. "Say, Mikoto, what can you tell me about that incident with hot pink underwear and the Uchiha Elders? Please tell me it was my cute goddaughter who did that. Please."

Mikoto's lips twisted slightly at the corners. Kushina grinned at the job well done.

* * *

Shisui was practically vibrating in his seat, the excitement shooting through his body, making it hard to sit still. He could see from the corner of his eye a few of his more observant classmates looking at him in curiosity, but he couldn't make himself calm down.

Today was the day. Today, Meika-hime was going to join him in his class.

He was so excited!

Their sensei, a brown-haired, no-nonsense kunoichi that ruled the class with an iron fist, entered, and Shisui grinned when he saw a small, dark-haired form trailing after her.

"Settle down!" Kotone-sensei snapped, and the amount of noise suddenly dropped as the students quieted. Sensei nodded in brisk approval. "Today we have a new classmate joining us. You will behave properly." With that curt warning, the kunoichi turned around and beckoned Meika closer. "Come here and introduce yourself."

Meika took a few steps forward and some of his classmates shifted uneasily. Shisui could only imagine what they thought. Meika-hime was small and slight, even for a kid, and she was dressed in a pretty yukata, hair piled in a bun, a polite smile on her childish face. She looked like a kid playing at being adult, and it made them all uneasy.

Shisui was willing to bet that she was hiding a small armoury in the numerous folds of her clothes.

A deep gash on his shoulder blade, courtesy of a well-aimed swipe of a tessen, ached in remembrance and Shisui grimaced.

Yeah. Not defenceless at all.

Meika bowed shallowly, just on this edge of politeness. "Hello. I am Uchiha Meika. Please take good care of me."

The class erupted in noise, the confusion and interest of other children raising.

"Another Uchiha? Do you think she knows Shisui-kun?"

"She's so small. She must be weak."

"A prodigy? She can't be older than five."

"Shisui-kun! Shisui-kun! Do you know her?"

Kotone-sensei slammed her fist on her desk loudly and snapped, "Silence!"

The class fell silent and Shisui sighed in relief. He really had no wish to answer all those questions.

"Meika-chan, go find yourself a seat. Everyone else, open your books on page…"

The class rustled as the books opened, quite a few of Shisui's classmates keeping the eye on the new arrival. Meika, for her part, ignored the stares with an air of quiet amusement and climbed up the steps to seat herself next to Shisui.

Shisui grinned at his best friend, delighted.

They were going to have so much fun!


	8. Chapter 8

"Aneki, Shisui, why are you laughing?"

Meika took a few gasping breaths to stop her snickering and turned around to face her little brother. Shisui, who was still helplessly guffawing hard enough he had to lean on her shoulder to stay upright, overbalanced and stumbled, almost falling on the ground in his mirth. He managed to steady himself with a firmer grip on her shoulder, but he was still snorting, dark eyes shining.

Meika rolled her eyes at him and proceeded to ignore him in favour of Itachi. "Have you seen the Elders lately, Ita-chan?" she asked and pretended not to hear Shisui stifling yet another laugh at the reminder.

Itachi, who was far too smart for his own good, narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. Coupled with his baby-faced features and messy dark hair, he looked completely adorable. Meika was not a person prone to sentimental displays, but even she almost cooed at the sight.

"They're all bald now, Aneki. And very angry," he said, as dry as a three-going-on-four years old could manage. "That was _you_?"

Shisui finally stopped with his sniggering, only to ruffle Itachi's hair and make it even messier. Meika, who clearly remembered Harriet's troubles with the infamous Potter mane, winced as Itachi tried to pat it back with a glower.

"We neither confirm nor deny," Shisui said cheerfully, basically _confirming_ their guilt for anyone with half a brain to hear. Considering that Itachi was a genius in making, there was no way that he missed the not-so-subtle implication. He frowned harder.

"You'll get in trouble if they find out, Aneki," Itachi said, all serious dark eyes and worried looks, but there was something sly on his face that made the inner Slytherin in Meika sit up and take notice.

Shisui, on the other hand, remained oblivious. "They won't know anything if we all keep our mouths shut, right, Ita-chan?" he said, certain that Itachi would never betray two of his favourite clansmen for something so trivial.

But Itachi glowered at him darkly. "Don't call me that!" he snapped, childishly, and Meika stifled at giggle. Her little brother tried very hard to act more mature than he really was – even though he _was_ far more advanced than any of his peers, thanks to his intelligence and the harsh realities of the war – so Meika was always delighted to see him act like the child he was. When she had been Harriet, children had often grown up too quickly – herself included – and Konoha in war was little better in that aspect. It was nice to see that he would still act like a kid when he felt safe enough to do so.

Shisui pouted, ridiculously exaggerated. "But you let Meika call you that! Why can't I? Don't you love me anymore?" He sidled closer to the younger boy and nearly draped himself over his shoulder. Meika noticed, with some amusement, that he was very careful not to let his full weight rest on the scrawny body.

Shisui could be surprisingly considerate beneath all his mischievousness and troublemaking.

Itachi tried to shrug him off, but Shisui was older and Academy-trained so he clung on easily. The younger boy gave up as soon as he realised it was hopeless to fight his older cousin in strength department and huffed. Shisui had just enough time to grin at Meika triumphantly before he yelped and jumped off, tentatively rubbing his side, where Itachi just pinched him. "Meika is my _sister_ ," Itachi said, pointedly.

"You didn't have to _pinch_ me," Shisui said, though he did not seem greatly discouraged. In fact, there was a delighted gleam in his eye as he turned toward Meika, grinning ear to ear. "He _is_ your brother, Hime. Getting smarter and meaner every day."

Meika smiled proudly as Itachi preened, mollified by the compliment.

"Was there something you needed, Ita-chan?" Meika asked, turning toward her brother again.

Itachi nodded. "Yes. I would like to ask you to help me with shurikenjutsu," he said, all formal-like, likely utilizing Mikoto and Fugaku's teachings on what was the proper behaviour for an heir.

Meika frowned. "Now? Don't you have lessons?" she asked. Their parents had started Itachi on his shinobi training even earlier than her, bolstered by her success and the fact that Itachi was a boy and heir. Meika… was not exactly delighted, but the lessons were not strenuous and her brother seemed to enjoy learning, so she let it be. For now, at least.

Itachi shrugged and there was the sly gleam in his eyes again. "They're done for today," he said, and smiled impishly. Even Shisui clued in by now, shifting nervously. "I could always go and talk with the Elders if you don't have the time."

Shisui gasped sharply, but Meika only smiled indulgently. "You wouldn't," she said with complete confidence. Itachi was as loyal as any Hufflepuff and there was no chance in hell that he would go to the hated old twats and tattle on his sister and favourite cousin.

Besides, Meika was almost completely sure that Itachi enjoyed the aftermath of their pranks as much as Shisui and her did.

Itachi's smile was sheepish. "I wouldn't," he confirmed. Shisui sagged in relief and Meika patted his arm. He did not know her little brother as well as she did, seeing as he spent most of his time with her and not Itachi, but she was sure that would change. They were both far too clever not to like each other as opposed to other children, and Itachi really needed more friends. "But you always tell me to use everything I can when I want something, Aneki, and I listened. I deserve a reward."

Meika laughed at his logic and shook her head. "I also told you that if you threaten someone, you better be ready to go through with it," she said, but continued talking before his expression could fall. "But I suppose that family can be an exception." She turned around and started walking toward the training grounds. "Come on. I hope you remembered to bring the blunt shuriken, because there's no way you're ready for the sharpened ones, Ita- _chan_."

Itachi's smile was blinding as he trotted after her.

* * *

"Uchiha-sama, I'm glad that you agreed to meet with me."

Mikoto nodded politely at her daughter's sensei as she came to a stop before her. Fujita Kotone was a slight woman, with curvy build and soft face, but her eyes were steel-hard, and Mikoto was willing to bet that the only reason this woman was not at the warfront right now was because she was on the medical leave. She seemed too… battle-hardened, too ready for a _fight_ , for there to be any other reason.

Mikoto was also aware that Meika respected the woman to a certain extent, which was rare for her daughter. Meika liked people, and she was polite when she had to be, but she was rarely genuinely _respectful_. Oh, she was subtle about it, she never let it show, but Mikoto was her mother and she knew the signs. So she knew that Meika respected only a few people in her life.

She also knew that her own mother was not one of them ever since a year ago.

It hurt, of course, but Mikoto was strong. She would endure.

She shrugged off the urge to shake her head and focused her dark gaze on the teacher. Fujita-san met her eyes unflinchingly. "Of course. It was no problem, especially as it concerns my daughter," Mikoto said politely, but truthfully. She tilted her head. "May I ask though, Fujita-sensei, why are we not in your office?"

Usually, when there was a need to talk about some student, the teacher and parent would retire to the relative privacy of the office. But today they were standing in the shadows of the walled Academy training ground, just in time to see the taijutsu lesson.

"I wanted you to see something," Fujita said and nodded toward the ring. Mikoto turned just in time to see her daughter entering it and placing herself opposite of some Hyuuga boy few years her senior. "I believe you should observe."

"Very well," Mikoto agreed, willing to indulge the woman for now. She seemed like she had some kind of point to prove here.

Mikoto glanced once again toward the ring as the boy sprang forward, his movements fast for a student, but fluid in the way of his Clan, smooth and efficient. He aimed toward Meika's chest and Mikoto supressed a wince, because if her daughter was hit, the spar would be over, and if she blocked, she would be left with a hand less. But Meika, suprising her, stood her ground, until the boy was almost close enough to touch. Then, she ducked under his reach, fast – faster than she should be able to, using _genin_ speed – and twirled on her heel, leg extended. The boy had to jump back to avoid being brought to ground. Meika followed with a swipe at him, which was blocked. Mikoto watched as her daughter frowned lightly, but continued on, raining kicks and punches and swipes at the kid until she was moving too fast for him to follow. Finally she managed to drop him on the ground, bracketing him between her knees, her hands gripping his arms tightly.

Meika won.

No one seemed surprised.

Mikoto glanced at the teacher once again and raised a questioning eyebrow.

Fujita smiled slightly and nodded towards the ring. "That was Hyuuga Haru. He is one of their best in this generation. He has never won a spar against your daughter," her look was strangely pointed. "Meika is exceptional in every field. Her academic scores are above average, she managed to master all three required jutsu in less than a month and just last week I've seen her use a genjustu that is not taught in Academy curriculum. We do not have anything to teach her anymore, Uchiha-sama."

Mikoto was expecting something like this, but the thought still made her slightly uncomfortable. Fugaku would not have hesitated to give his permission, but Meika was Mikoto's first child, her _daughter_ , and she had to be sure. "She's only six, Fujita-sensei," Mikoto pointed out, calmly, reasonably. "And there _is_ war out there."

Fujita snorted under her breath. Mikoto politely pretended not to hear it. "She'll not be fighting the war, Uchiha-sama. She's not _that_ skilled. And besides, you're allowing a boy of eight to graduate early," she said, something too close to a smirk stretching her lips. She inclined her head toward the students once again, and Mikoto's gaze followed the movement only to rest on Uchiha Shisui, who was standing at Meika's shoulder with his hands crossed over his chest as he observed the fight with sharp eyes. "He is Meika's best friend. It would do them both good if they graduated together. I suspect that they would even be placed on the same team if that should happen."

Mikoto could not deny that the possibility of Shisui-kun sharing a team with Meika made it easier to think about her daughter as a genin. The boy was skilled, and had enough talent to only improve. He was also immensely loyal to Meika and would no doubt do everything in his power to keep her safe. And if what Fujita-sensei said was true…

Well, there would be no point in keeping Meika in the Academy.

Mikoto inclined her head slightly. "You have a point, Fujita-sensei," she said, not taking her eyes off her daughter and her best friend. She was young yes, and Mikoto could not help but feel terrified for her… But, she was – hopefully – ready. "I will talk with my husband."

"And your daughter, I hope," the teacher chimed in. Mikoto glanced at her only to notice something laughing at her from that steely-gaze. "I think that she would like to be consulted."

Mikoto nodded her acknowledgement. "Of course, sensei. Thank you for your consideration."

She left soon enough. She had much to think about.

* * *

"Okaa-san asked me if I would like to graduate early."

Shisui grinned widely at the words, delight running through his body. He resisted the urge to throw himself at her and hug her to death, if only because she was still holding her kunai from when they had been practising. He didn't want to get impaled on accident.

Or on purpose.

Meika could be _mean_.

"That's great!" he chirped, scooting closer. "You said yes, didn't you? You had to! We're going to graduate together! And maybe we'll be on the same team! Imagine that, Hime!"

Meika smiled at him, not as wide as his, but undeniably happy. "Of course I agreed," she said, and Shisui whooped, laughing, but settled down when something changed in the girl's expression. "It's just… I'm glad she _asked_ me."

"Yeah," Shisui agreed even if he did not really understand. Meika had been really upset when she had been sent to the Academy without her agreement, but she had tried not to show it. Still, Shisui had seen it, and didn't quite get it. She'd wanted to become a ninja, hadn't she, so was had she been so upset?

In the end, he'd chalked it off in that weird category of 'girls' and let it be.

And now it was here again.

Meika shook her head as if to clear it from something and grinned again. "Hey, Shisui-kun," she started, and sounded almost as happy as he felt. There was a bright smile on her face and her pretty eyes were shining as she glanced at him. "I think that we really could be on the same team."

Shisui tilted his head in thought. "Well, I'm the Rookie of the Year and you're better than all the other girls put together," here he made a face at the thought of some of his fangirls. "So I think we could."

That thought would make him smile all day.

.

.

.

"Team Five will consist of Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Meika and Mitarashi Anko. Your sensei will be Nara Shikaku."

* * *

 **Ok, first of all, I know that Anko was on Orochimaru's team when she was a genin, but I needed a canon third member because I didn't want to introduce new OCs. Anko is the right age, properly characterised in canon and I like her. So I chose her.**

 **Secondly, thanks for all of the reviews, especially DeiStarr, who gave me so many ideas. I also considered some of your suggestions for the third teammate, and I liked Inuzuka Hana (a few people put the name forward), until I realised she was Itachi's age. There goes that idea.**

 **Thirdly, do you know how hard it was to write** ** _Uchiha Itachi_** **as a small, naïve kid? Let me tell you, it was hard. I hope you like it anyway.**

 **Read and review!**


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